Original Article

To compare retinal vessel caliber in diabetics and non-diabetics - Original Article

  • Ercüment Çavdar
  • Zuhal Gürcan
  • Hakan Tenekecioğlu
  • Burcu Alper
  • Abdullah Özkaya

Turk J Ophthalmol 2009;39(3):216-219

Purpose:

To compare retinal vessel diametres in diabetic and non-diabetic patients.

Materials and Methods:

Epidemiologic studies show that some factors like high body mass indeks (BMI), and diabetes history in family cause diabetes. It is thought that disordered reactivity and microvascular blood flow cause diabet. Microvascular abnormalities are the initial symptoms in diabetics. Study was done retrospectively. 50 diabetic and 50 non diabetic participants of the study, were between 35-50 years old. Blood pressure of all participants were measured and the ones who take hipertansif medication and whose blood pressure is over 120/90 were excluded. Also their BMI were evaluated and only normal BMI (18,5-25,0) attended to the study. Retinal vessel caliber were manually evaluated by taking coloured fundus photograph.

Results:

The average age of participants were between 38-48 years old and BMI were between 22,5-27. Mean arterial caliber of the diabetic participants were 149µm +/- 8,4µm and venous caliber 219,2µm+/- 9,6µm. Arterial venous ratio (AVR) was 0,68+/-0.12 on the other hand non –diabetics arterial caliber was 148,8µm +/- 7,9µm venous caliber was 197,2µm +/- 4,3µm and AVR was 0.754 +/-0,07.

Discussıon:

After standardizing other factors (age, bmi) which cause aterosklerosis in diabetic and non diabetic patients; it is found that statistically venous caliber is wıder in diabetic patients however there isn' t significant change in arterial caliber. Its thought that the decrease in AVR is due to increase in venous caliber.